 The Armed Forces Radio Service presents the Spen. The shot, starring Mr. Van Heflin, hoping once again to keep you in suspense. A minute or two from one way or the other certainly can't make too much difference. Decide to stop to pick these. Cherry, anyone? No. They're delicious. For a man who's about to die, you don't seem too concerned. Oh, I am concerned, Peyton. Here's a whole half full of delicious cherries that certainly have to be eaten. On the other hand, Peyton, I'm not certain that I have to die. We'll see about that. Did you bring a weapon? Right here. And I noticed you're already. Let's get on with this. You will draw lots, gentlemen. Of course. It's customary. That's it. The papers in this hat are numbered from one to ten. You will each draw a paper. The man who receives the highest number will give the first shot. Is that agreeable? Yes, of course. After you, Lieutenant Peyton, and good, good luck, sir. Good draw, sir. Mr. Peyton? Eight. Now it seems I've won the first shot, Peyton. I've drawn a ten. Then it's settled. Back to back. You will pace away until the count is completed. Mr. Rolls has the first shot. Understood? Understood. Is there anyone present here who finds this not an honorable way to settle the dispute between these two men? Ready, gentlemen? Already? I'm ready. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Stand back. I'm all right. The bullet went through my head. Lieutenant Peyton? Yes, I know. Here is the one. Well, you seem so anxious to kill me, sir. Do I have to remind you that you have a shot at me? I wouldn't want to spoil your breakfast. Don't worry, Peyton. You'll never spoil anything for me. Go ahead. Take a shot. Well, you're going to shoot, and you're going to stand there aiming at me. No. Not now. Harry is taking his shot at you. You have to take your shot at me. Shut up. I don't have to do anything. Not yet. You challenge him to a duel, Zachary. What? Would you like to take it from here? No. You don't seem ready for death this morning. Oh, you're wrong again, sir. I'm always ready for death. All right. You've disappointed me, Peyton. Have I? Or perhaps I've disappointed you. At any rate, all of these gentlemen witnessed that I went through my part of the challenge. You owe me a shot, Peyton. And if you are afraid, I'll always be ready for you to take it any day, any place. I'll remember that, Rawls. Please do, sir. Good day, gentlemen. It's a lovely morning. Zachary, he'll tell everyone about this. You'll be ruined. You can't expect to stay in the regiment now. What's the use of depriving him of life when he attaches no value to it? Nevertheless, you ended the duel your way, and it's not an honorable way. It's not ended. What? I'm still going to take my shot. You hurt him all of you. He owes me a shot. I'll choose the day, and I'll choose that place. And I'll still see if he wants to eat cherries and laugh down the barrel of my gun. Any day, any place. Are you awake, Mr. Peyton? Where do you want? I want to speak with you. I've brought your maid. Well, open the door. Let it there on the table, Mr. Temple. Thank you. Yes, sir. Oh, I didn't know you had a visitor. Mr. Starkwell, this is Mr. Temple. He's my landlord. How do you do, Mr. Temple? Colonel Starkwell, Virginia Volunteer? Mr. Starkwell now, Mr. Temple. There's no longer a Confederate army or a Confederacy. I forget sometimes, sir. Well, I served under you in the Third Volunteer. Mr. Temple had quite a career as a soldier. He's told me about it every day since I took this room. Only thing left to talk about now, Colonel, from Yankee, we all know how it is, Willis. Yes. Was there anything else? Oh, yes. That's a firing pistol, Mr. Peyton. You've told me that before, Mr. Temple. Don't you think so, Colonel? Oh, Mr. Starkwell? I've already admired Mr. Peyton's firearm. Would you believe how good Mr. Peyton is with it, Colonel? Why, he lays right here on his bed and fires away the little old playing card stuck on the fence post out there in the back. Hits it every time. Some shooting, I declare. Oh, Mr. Peyton practices all the time. Do you, sir? Every day for the last seven years? Is that all, Mr. Temple? What? I asked you if that was all. Is there something else you had to say? Well, I did want to ask you. Do you have to practice from the window? I prefer to. You object? Oh, no, no, no. Of course not. It's my wife. I mean, Libby don't like it. I keep telling her these are hard times, and we sure appreciate getting a man in here can pay us a little rent. Well, then you tell her that I practice shooting at all kinds of light from all kinds of position. Now, continue to do that. Well, I only ask you now. Good day, Mr. Temple. Yes. Well, good day to you both. Jim? No thanks. You haven't changed too much, Zachary. Little gray. Well, it's been seven years now. Zach, maybe you have changed. That man who was just here. Scared, shrinking little man. He's frightened. If I might comment, Zach, you didn't do anything to alleviate that fright. It's not his wife. That's him. He's a frightened of my gun. He knows what I can do with it. Means nothing to you, has no baron on your life. True, but he knows that a gun that can be pointed at a card stuck on a fence can just as easily be pointed at a heart stuck in a man's chest. Well, am I right? I suppose you are. Would you mind putting them in the case? Are you afraid too, Jim? Don't treat me like a Willis Temple, Zachary. I'm your friend. I came here to meet you because you asked me to. Why am I here, Zachary? What do you want of me? Nothing that'll interfere with your life, Jim. A week ago, I got a letter from Norfolk mentioned that an old queen's mind's living here. A man who was an officer in my regiment. His name is Benjamin Rawls. Oh. You know him, Jim? Oh, slightly. I've seen him about town, spoken to him once or twice. How's he look these days? Not knowing how he looked when you know him, I'd say he looks mighty fine, Jim. He's in good health, I think. And he's done better than most of it. Rawls has always wanted to do very well. How do you mean? I understand his family lost all they had at Savannah, but there's an English branch that died off and filled in the inheritance. He's very well off. I suppose he would be. He had a great deal of money when I know him and other things. You mean women? Is he still ambitious and gallant? Well, Marsha Pemberton's considered to be a very, very lucky young lady in these parts. Marsha Pemberton. The girl he married last week. Last week, you say? Yes. Does he love her? What? Do you know if he loves this girl he married? It's apparent to everyone in town that he loves her very much. When he was caught in her, folks in town saw them together often. I saw him. I'd say Ben Rawls is in love the way a man loves only once in his life. Is that what you want to know? Yes. Because I'm your friend, Zachary, I'm talking to you about Ben Rawls, but I'm uncomfortable. I don't like talking about a man. You see over there, large White House on the hill? See, that's where Ben lives. He's right there, Zachary. You can talk to him instead of me. I'd rather talk to you at the moment. I won't answer any more questions, Zachary. I think I'll be going. As you will, Jim. Zachary, I've asked no questions of you. May I ask one now? All right, Jim. Is it the duel? Is that why you want to know these things about Ben Rawls? Yes. I want to satisfy myself that he's at last found something to live for. I see. And you're going to call on him? Tonight. I want to know if he can still laugh down a gun barrel. I won't let you do this thing, Zachary. There's been enough killing. Jim! Yeah? I'd hate to kill you too. Way to come out of the house, Zachary. You haven't been waiting alone, Jim. Who are your friends? This is Park Yeager, Quincy Talbot. We were in the army together, Zach, there from here. I do, Peyton. I do. Park and Quincy were executive officers for me in the third cavalry. We served together at Appomattox. What is it you want, Jim? You're on your way over to Ben Rawls' house now. I told you I was going over there tonight. I want to talk to you about that some more, Zach. Could we go back upstairs to your room? No, Jim. I'd like to very much, Zachary. That's why we waited here for you. I think it's important we talk about it. It's important enough, Zachary, that I've told Park and Quincy all you told me. They're close friends to me now. I've asked them to assist me. That's right, Captain. Mr. Stockwell's told us everything. We can talk right here, Jim. Anything you have to say can be said right here. Can't we go to the room, Zachary? You could have come back to the room to talk to me. You didn't want that. You wanted to meet me out here with Park and Quincy. Come on, Jim, speak up. I'm in a hurry. The war did many things to all of us, Zach. Everything we thought and lived for is gone now. But we're still men, and we can all recover. Park and Quincy and I are the only ones who know what you said to me in that room there. You want to kill Ben Rawls tonight. Then this is what the war has done to you, Zach. This is what I want to talk about. Wanting to kill a man in cold blood, a man you haven't seen for seven years, it better, doesn't make sense. And you and Park and Quincy are here to see that I don't call on Ben Rawls. Is that it? Well, he had to quietly see that you don't do anything foolish. I'm your friend, Zachary. I knew your daddy. I want to see what's the matter. What sickness the war gave you, and I want to help you. Go home, Jim. Park, Quincy, this is none of your business. We can't do that, Zachary. We can't let you kill a man in cold blood. Let's all go upstairs to your room and talk a bit, Captain. Quincy's got some fine whiskey that's came in from England. Haven't you, Quincy? I sure have, Captain. You're a man I'd be mighty proud to share it with. Uh, Captain, Mr. Stockwell is your friend, and he's thinking of you. Is Ben Rawls your friend, too, Jim? You trying to protect him? What I know of Ben Rawls, I told you this afternoon. But you are my friend, and I won't let you go there and do this thing. Now, you get out of my way. You will have to kill me first, Zachary. Kill these two boys who've never done you any harm, but I won't let you go over there. Park! You're a fool, Zachary. A game must stop it. Park, it's the only way. Right, Mr. Stockwell. Let me down, man. Quincy, hand me that whiskey. Yes, sir. I'll get his head, Mr. Stopper. Sorry, Zachary. Sometimes we all go about things the wrong way. I'm noted for my poor judgment in many matters. You stop me, Jim, for the moment. Ask them to wait over there. All right, Paul, Quincy, over there. You sure it's all right, Mr. Stockwell? Captain Peyton is a man of honor. Come on. Be right over by the trees, sir. I have to kill him, Jim. I have to before I can ever live again. There was so much killing. Look what it got. I hate him. When you've lived with a hate, as I've lived with it. There's nothing else you can do. Why do you think I resigned my commission before the war was over? Why do you think I disappeared from the Confederacy? Why do you think I never returned to my home? I heard you'd done all those things. I didn't ask any questions, but I know. Ben, Ben is the cause of everything. Benjamin Rawls. I know he had a reputation for being arrogant and slick when he was an officer. But for underhand? No, no, no. It was nothing underhanded, Jim. It was open-handed. It was a slap. Rawls slap. Yes, one night in front of a whole regiment. Over what? Why? A girl, just a girl that we both liked. I don't even remember her name. Oh, everyone had seen it coming. Until Rawls joined that regiment, I was the most popular officer with my fellow officers and the ladies. Zachary, that was then. And this is now, but my life stopped then. Try to remember how it was then, Jim. In the early stages when the North was done, not the South. It was so fashionable to be young and reckless and brave and an officer in the Confederate Army. And then to be slapped by a man, more brave, more records, more of everything. It was too much. Zach, those days are gone. Forget them. The whole way of life is different now. It's no different for him. And it's no different for me, Jim. You have no right to stop me. You know that. That's true. But Zach, can you kill a man for something that happened then? I can, and I will. He shot at me once. Now I owe him a shot. Don't I? Don't I, Jim? Yes, Zachary, you owe him a shot. Go ahead. Go, Mr. Stockwell. Yes, I can't stop him. I can see that now. If we can't, then it's between him and Ben Rawls now. Usually, we see people who refuse to give their names to my servants. Hello, Rawls. Well, don't you recognize me? Exactly. And I do have business with you. What are you doing here? Well, you're shot, Rawls. I've come to pay off. I'm ready. I told you I always would be. Yes, you did. And you asked me to remember it. Well, you don't seem quite as certain as you were the last time we met. What's the matter? Is there something wrong? I believe we were at 12 paces before. Yes. You mind if I count? I'll count. As you will, Rawls. Back to back. One, two, three, four. Man, shoot and do it quickly. Well, you seem in a hurry to die, Mr. Rawls. Well, in that case, we'd better get on with it then. I apologize, Mr. Rawls, that this pistol isn't loaded with cherry stones. You have no idea how often I've dreamed of cherry stone bullets since last we met. I think they'd be somewhat lighter than lead. Rawls, this doesn't seem to me like a duel anymore, but just plain murder. And if I'm anything, I will not be called a murder. You must understand that I've had quite a long lecture on why I shouldn't be doing this. I don't like shooting an unarmed man. Rawls. What? There's another pistol in my case. It's all loaded. Would you please take it, and then we could start over? Will you hesitate, Mr. Rawls? I do not hesitate, sir. Go ahead, Mr. Rawls. You're shot. What? You may have the first shot. I'm ready. Well, sir, you've broken a candle holder and ruined a picture. Now I truly owe you a shot. All right. I'm fine, Marsha. Fine. Truly, I am. But the shot, this man. Now, dear, there's nothing to worry about. Ain't you see we're just joking? Don't be so frightened. Ah, I'll tell you what. You go out and find Abram and ask him to bring up some nice wine. And then I'll introduce you to my old friend here. Tell me, sir. Is my husband telling the truth? Is it true you're just joking? Oh, he's always joking, Mr. Rawls. Once he slapped me in the face for a joke. Now the time he put a bullet through my cap for a joke. Just now he fired a gun at me and missed. That's another joke. Now I think I'll have my little joke in joking. It's a do. This is the man Peyton you told me about. Marsha, this is between us. Now leave the room. This man has the right to shoot at me. I wouldn't have any honor if I didn't allow it. Oh shoot, Peyton. Shoot, man, and stop making her suffer for me. Will you fire a knot? No. No, I won't fire Rawls. I'm satisfied. I've seen you afraid. I've forced you to fire at me. That's enough. You'll remember me all of your life, Rawls. I leave you to your conscience. Oh, as for that shot, here it is. Goodbye, Mr. Rawls. Took your shot? Yes. I put it in the picture right next to his shot. Sacky's alive. You could have killed him, but he's alive. Oh, he's fine, Jim. He's still the bravest man I ever met. Let's go, Jim. The United States Armed Forces Radio Service.